Chelsea Green Blog

This week marks the twentieth anniversary of the tragic Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, when the single-hulled supertanker ran aground, dumping somewhere between 11 million (Exxon’s estimate) and 38 million (independent estimate) gallons of crude into the water. It ruined lives, careers, communities, caused untold environmental devastation, and shined a glaring spotlight on the inequities of a justice system that can so easily be subverted to corporate interests.

Riki Ott, author of Not One Drop: Courage and Betrayal in the Wake of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, appeared on Air America’s Lionel Show Wednesday to talk about the continuing impact of one of the biggest man-made environmental disasters in history.

Riki Ott the joins me. The Rachel Carson of our time. A commercial salmon “fisherma’am,” Dr. Riki Ott (PhD in marine biology) experienced firsthand the devastating effects of the Exxon Valdez oil spill—and chose to do something about it. Ott retired from fishing and founded three nonprofit organizations to deal with lingering harm. Her previous book on the spill is Sound Truth and Corporate Myth$. She lives in Cordova, Alaska. Her book is a must read: Not One Drop:Betrayal and Courage in the Wake of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. Twenty years ago it happened. And will happen again.

World leaders met in Marrakech this month as part of COP22, to discuss the next steps to reducing global climate emissions. One of the solutions being discussed is carbon farming. Author Eric Toensmeier participated in COP22, in part, because he literally wrote a book on it. First off – what is carbon farming? It’s a […] Read More

In the future, what will our local economies look like? How will they function if there is little, to no, state or national support? The late David Fleming envisioned a post-capitalistic society that we could call “deep local” — in which all needs are met at the local level — from income to social capital […] Read More

Today we kick off our Holiday Sale — with 35% off every purchase at our online bookstore. Simply use the code CGS16 at checkout from now until the end of the year. Along with this great discount, we are offering free shipping on any order over $100*. Are there homesteaders or organic gardeners on your […] Read More

They are trees of life and trees of knowledge. They are the fig trees. Fig trees fed our pre-human ancestors, influenced diverse cultures and played key roles in the dawn of civilization. They feature in every major religion, starring alongside Adam and Eve, Krishna and Buddha, Jesus and Muhammad. This is no coincidence – fig […] Read More

“As our planet’s climate changes and reminds us that nature really does matter, the story [of fig trees] has important lessons for us all.” –Mike Shanahan In short, fig trees are awesome. They have been around for 80 million years and during that time they have shaped our world and impacted humanity in profound but […] Read More

Stay Connected

Featured Author

Thomas Cowan, MD, has studied and written about many subjects in medicine including nutrition, homeopathy, anthroposophical medicine, and herbal medicine. He is the principal author of The Fourfold Path to Healing and co-author (with Sall......